Using Tikatok

Using Tikatok - Page Text Content

BC: Visit Tikatok at http://www.tikatok.com

FC: Tiktatok: Storytelling for Students

1: Tikatok is a site that allows children 13 years old and younger to create their own book, including text and illustrations. Two mothers created this site as a safe outlet for children to express their creativity.

2: Users can add friends and share their books with other children on the site. The books can also be shared through email or embedding them on a website.

3: In addition, there is an online community of book clubs on the site that the books can be sent to so readers can comment on the books. If a child feels that someone has violated a discussion rule on the site or if he or she has any other difficulties then they can fill out an email form on the contact page.

5: Users have the option of creating their own unique book or starting with a prompt called “StorySparks.” There are different categories of “StorySparks’ that children can choose from to begin their stories.

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7: Children have the many options when entering text. They can format the text, choose a page color, and choose the page layout. A nice feature Tikatok includes are "hints" for each page to help children decide what to write. The hints can be hidden if necessary.

8: Another great feature of Tikatok is children can draw their own illustrations to use in their story by simply having an adult scan the pictures. However, this can cause problems for those who do not have access to a scanner. Tikatok does address this by offering a community gallery of scanned images. Yet, some children may not find the pictures they need in the gallery. Hints are also provided for the image pages.

10: When a book is complete it can be printed, embedded in a site, emailed, or sent to one of the book clubs in the Tikatok community. Adults can also purchase a hardback, paperback, or eBook download. All of these options allow users to share their books for free or for a cost.

12: There are many ways Tikatok could be integrated in the classroom. Teachers can use Tikatok to have students create and publish their own stories in unique way. Often times students are only able to publish their work with pencil and paper or in a Microsoft Word document. Tikatok provides a unique alternative for students to use.

13: Also, teachers can use these books as a way to teach students how to communicate and collaborate. The students can write or share their books with each other. Then they can discuss and provide feedback through the online community.